bates



H. H. BATS.

TRACTOR. ,wmcaxou Him DEC.22, man.

Patented Nov. 21, '1322.

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TRACTOR.

APPLTCMTUN mio M012. 19:3. 1,436,376. liltned Nw. 2l, 1922. ssfriirssmm 2.

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TRACTOR.

APPucATioN man vc.22,19|:|.

Patented Nov. 21; 1922.

. ILI

Patented Nov. 21, 1922.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HARRY H. BATES, 0F JULIET, IILIDOIS, ABEIGNQB T0 BATES um AND TRACTOR COMPANY, 0F JULIET, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION 0F DELAWARE.

TMW-POE.

Application med December 2.2, 1919. Hertel No. 348,710.

To all whom 'it may concern.'

Be it known that I, HAnmr H. Barns, a citizen of' the United States, residingat Joliet, in the county of Will and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and use ful Improvements in Tractors, of which the following is a specification;

The present invention has to do with eertain improvementsin tractors and has particular reference to improvements in tractors intended for use on the farm and for similar' purposes. The features of the invention have particular reference to the construction of the tractor mechanism which is of the general type known in the art as acrawler construction.

One of the features of the invention has reference to the manner in which the frame of the tractor is mounted upon and supporti ed by the crawler construction; and in this connection one of the objects is to provide a spring suspension which shall transmit the load to the crawler device in a periectlfl equalized manner at all times, and whi shall neverthelesspermit the crawler chains to ride easily overobstructions or inequalities in thesuraceof the grmmd.l`

Another feature of the 'invention has to do with the construction whereblthe traction exerted by the crawler on e surface of the ground shall be transmitted to the frame of the tractor itself,'withoutdietort ing the spring suspension, and without the necessity of passingany of the traction load through the 'spring suspension members. Other objects and' uses 'of the invention will appear from a detailedl description of the same which consists in the features of construction and combinations of parte hereinafter described and claimed.

Referring to the draw'ngs:'

Figure 1 shows a side elevation of: a tracf tor having applied thereto the features of the present invention; p

Fi 2 is-s front end view corresponding to Fig. 1; and

Fig. 3 is a back end view corresponding Flgs. 1 and 2.

The features of the present invention are illustrated for pur oses of convenience as being embodied wit in that general type of tractor constructionjn which the engine and radiator are located in the iront portion of the machine and the drivers seat, and various controllingA devices are located in the back portion thereof. This is generally largely as a matter of convenience in illustration, and because this is a familial' type of construction, but it will be understood that m so illustratin the features of the present invention, I o not limit their use E? this particular type of tractor construc- Bearing the for ing in mind, the construction illustra. in the drawings includes an engine located under the hood 5; u. radiator 6; various clutch and change speed devices located under the casinge 7; n drivers seat 8 and anyv other suitable devices which may be desirable or necessary. These are all carried by a frame which is more or less rigid in character and includes the side beams or channels 9 and 10 and the front cross 'piece 11. Other cross pieces may be Provided at various points, or the frame o lthe engine and the frames within which the clutch and general speed devices are located may be used for rovding additional ri. 'dit between the si e beams.

Ateach si e c the tractor there is provided a, chain drive or crawler 12 as shown in Fig. 1. These crawlers carry all or a. lare portion ofthe w ht of the machine, an serve-also to exert e rtraction on the surface ofthe und. Ow'I 'to the fact that he twig;I si es of the mac ine1 may b simu neo y p w I; over unequa roun surfaces, it is ve desirable to progvide a construction such at the two crawlers vrnav move up and do'wn independently of each other, or at any rate to rovide such construction that a. considere le amount of independent movement and'iiexbilty will be provided. These results are secured in the construction 'herein illustrated and described.

At each side of the machine there is provided a crawler frame, the two frames he ing d ted in their entirety bfy the numerals 13 and 14. Each of these rames includes sides beams or channels 15 and 16 in conjunction with a front cross piece 17. These frames are, therefore, of U-shape form when viewed from above.

In the front portion of each crawler frame there is journaled an idler wheel 18, and a driving sprocket wheel 19 is located orl journaled between the rear portions of the arms of these U-shaped frames. l This iournaling is conveniently accomplished by providing a fixed axle 90. extending across the rear ortion of the frame of the machine, the riv- 4inwardly and rearwardl. 1 end V respective) ing sprocket wheel 19 being jonrnoled pn the projecting portions thereof. Each drie ing s rocket is provided with :n.geor- 21 with whic there meshes n pinion 22, the pinions on the two sides ofthe machine beingA driven; from the change speed'gearing through e differential connection, or these.

preferably pinions' may be driven in any otherl suitable manner. 'In my case, however, it VW111i be observed .tha-t since the driving. sprockets 19 operate onlixed centers c proper cushion ing is always. occured' between the gee-m21- a-nd pinionsvSZ.

'0n-'the project' portion at eceh endof the lxed2= t one is located e it oi boxeoV or carriers 23 each having Ie forne of these boxesz or ie loco ebove the innerarm. or bcc-1n lo ofthe corresponding. crawler frame, and, the 'other is located above the outer-l am or beam ofthe some crawler corresponding crawler from'e ber.y These pins orreach nods secreto limit the separe tion of'tlre crawler fromelbars'from the corresponding-1 blocks 23'. @oiled springs 28 surround'- e ins or reachr rods'anlV serve to trns'mit' the oadrom the blocks 23 tothe ironie bers.

In the friint portion of themachine there 'isV provided n folie 29- having its end. ortons 80 endV 3 reaching topositions a ove the front ends of: the crawler frames, and the central'portion ofL such yoke carries: the

:the mainframe of the crawler bgmeans ofe swivleledfor pivoted: suport 3 4ce is clearly illustrated in Fig. 2. pin or reach 11141.33'A extendsbetween each end Hof' the yoke and. the corresponding crawler frame. 'and' serves to limitl the amountV of separation between these parita. A; coiled springt-4: surrounding each of thesenpinsror reach rods serves to transmit load from the engine ofl the yoke to the corresponding cmwlenfmme.

From thodescription. thunI far given'-e it cppear..thot eachof thecrvwler frames may oeeillnte orfswing u and down independently of.: the others, outl a pivotedor swineled vconn'crtion at its rear-end; and it will also appear that, by reason of: the spring eupportesoprovided, it is posible to equalize' the load' of the. mein. portion. of the; tractorv u n: the two` crawlers andi percra tonli themseves inde- .y new ine of. imguarties in the. of? the; It;- will he; evif iota, rovide elink extending arms 24 dent that the .very large traction exerted h each crawler upon the surface ofthe groun would tcndto displace vthe same forwardly with rea to the fromeofthel machine, end wou d probably a. serions distortion of thes ring engagierte. 'I have, thereextending from each crew er frame to the end portion of the'fixed axle 205 and esci metter of convenience and consti-notion, and invorder to equalize the loads and operation; one of: these lin'lm may be vprovided. reaching fromenchV of the arms :11:16am 0i each crawler frame to the fixed I't will 'be observed thetby this ment', the forwordf-.pnllisftrnnsmitted rectly between thecrawler frame. cndf the mainframe of the. nluoivine so that fthe spring. supporte are re ie 'an distorting londe or 'i rElie end poyrtioneo the links 35. are preierabl .pivotds eellustrated, articulcrly in 1,; so that the links wi not-inca. manner interfere-with or impede the adju ment movements of the crawler frames.'

In those caaes'in which. the crawlers are relatively long, it willv some times bedesirableor adrntmousftoplace one or 'more dl'em 36 and '37. be .een the drivingA sprocket 19 and they front idler 18m-.acto ensure a. pronti-cally uniform1 pressureI upon. each cnw-ler chain or crawler.. throughout its length- These s'nplementelfidleromey be conveniently fjourn edbetween the arme of the oranwloriranien` esshown'in Fig.; 1', end eachrof theimmoy -com1pr'isesimpl c flanged wheel,-

lieoleer yevident rom en exominetion of llgsr endS.

In order to steady the operation of the machineond-to e .better support :for the front portions o r the .crawler fumes, I-have illustrated, e link 3Sfextcnding-4 between vthe front `ooi'ti'ons: of the crawlers having its; en portionlsygainned oriournoled to the front portions o `the crawler frameset,- the pointls und 40', as shown inFig. 2.-. e

1 In c tractor, the-.oombinntionw-ith the mem and suitable primemover end controlling devices;4 thereoni of e fixed axle in the rear portionofftherncin.- n.. --cir of forwerd y extending crawler. freine ers on each sideof' tliemeohne; reerendeof each pair of bars located 591108311 the edgecent` endo the fixed axle e connection Joining together the forw f rtions of esuchk pair-off eeidbcrsbl o. crow er sprocket journalcd on each end of the'xed erlebetweenwthereor portions of thecorreeponding crawler frame; here. a pluraliI of--pnlleys iournaled' the, frame .rsat Side @.f-fthe machine; fcnwler chaine over. .wh- Spreplet: and. #hieeomspond. pulley@ af wnnectounbemenn ecc each end of the yoke vtransverse yolrevhaving its end portions located above the forward ends of the crawler frames, a pivotal support for the forward portion of the main frame, and the central portion of said yoke, a spring support for above the forward portion of tne corresponding crawler frame, and a link connection between the rear portion of each crawler frame bar and the adjacent projecting end of the fixed axle, substantially as described.

2. The combination with the main frame and prime mover and controlling devices of a tractor, of a crawler device at each side of the machine, a fixed axle extending across the rear portion of the main frame, each crawler dericedncluding a U-shaped crawler frame having the rear endls of its arms located beneath the adjacent projecting end of tbe fixed axle, a driving sprocket for each crawler device journaled on the adjacent rojecting end of the fixed axle and located etween the rear ends of the arms of thc adjacent crawlerfframe, a plurality of pulleys jonrnaled in each crawler` frame, a crawler chain paing over each sprocket and the corresponding pulleys, a. link connection between the rear portion of each crawler frame and the adjacent projecting end of the fixed axle, a. sprn support between each end of the fixed ax e and the rear end portions of the adjacent crawler freine, a transverse yoke in the forward portion of the machine. a spring connection between erich cnil of said yoke and the forward portion of the adjacent crawler frame. and a pivotal connection between the forward portion of the main frame and the central portion of snit substantially as described.

3. The combination with tbc main frame and prime mover und driving devices of a tractor, of a crawler device located :it each side of the tractor` each crawler device including a U-shapcd crawler frame havin its rear ends adjacent to the rear portion o the main frame, n driving sprocket pivoterl with respect to the main frame and between the rear portions of the arms of each crawler frame, a plurality of pulleys jonrnaled bctween the arms of each crawler frame, a crawler chain pnssingover each Sprocket and the corresponding pulleys, a spring support connection between the rear portions of the arms of each crawler Vframe and the rear )ortion of the main frame, a link connection etween each crawler frame and the rear portion of the main frame. a transverse yokc in the front portion of the machine, n spring su rt connection between each end tlicrcof and the front portion of the corresponding crawler frame, and a pivotal support con nection between the central portion of said yoke and the front portion of the main frame, sulist-antially as described.

HARRY nl BATES. 

